Bad customer service at Aristides Guitars. *RETRACTED*

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nickname009

Member
So I haven't posted in a while. In order to avoid GAS, really!

And i don't usually post to complain about other companies and whatnot but this one just really pushed my buttons, I really don't even know what happened, i'm still in stock that things happened the way they did. So i felt compelled to post something.

I have been venturing into getting a new custom made Aristides guitar, saw them at NAMM love their concept, love the builds, love the players behind the product as well. I emailed them in MARCH of earlier this year regarding a 060 model and weight issues. I wanted to know if they can get the weight down to under 7lbs and had other questions as well. Everything was fine, I'd be emailing with kyle back and forth once every day or two about questions and details etc. He had no idea if they could actually get the weight down to under 7lbs as these guitars are literally just moulds that are put together but he said he would let me know.

So every few days I would touch base just to hear back from Kyle. The last email from him was march 24 and he was saying it might not be possible but needed to dig deeper.

"Hi Max!
We unfortunately do not. If I remember correctly we only had that happen once last year so it's rather rare.
We're still looking into the weight but it's already not a good sign in my opinion that it's taking us this long to try and be able to guarantee it. Weight simply varies guitar to guitar and even with the lightest weight components possible I'm still not sure if we can get it under 6 lbs for sure but I have the team still working on it :)
Thanks!
Kyle Karich"



My response was exactly this:
Hello Kyle,
Thanks for the update!

I just simply cannot quite understand, in my opinion, if it's a complete custom build, weight should be part of the considerations.
I have been to so many different guitars manufacturers and have asked them this same question with the weight and none of them have been able to guarantee anything even though some have asked me to pay extra for them to TRY to make it lightweight.
I truly believe in you guys! You can do it!!! :)
Especially since you said you've had one before at 6lbs. If it's 6lbs or under, I'll buy one!

Please keep me in the loop!
Thanks"

Now. I'm not sure if my email came off as snobbish and rude, I was definitely not intending for it to be so.

But anyhow it is now June 25th. Not a single email from kyle or anybody at Aristides has come through since. I have since emailed them roughly 3 times from march till now just asking for an update and have gotten nothing but the silent treatment. Today i decided to email them and tell them that due to this sort of experience, I no longer want to have an 060 built for me.

And now I posted this. I really am still in shock. I have no idea what went wrong....



That's my rant.
 
peterc52":d73ghy5u said:
Get over it. I bet they're busy.
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That's what I thought for the first few weeks, it's 3 months later.

They're really 3 months too busy to take my money and build me a guitar?...Not sure about that, Peter.
 
Based on the title I would have guessed they done very wrong on a guitar which you paid for.

Wouldn't have guessed they forgot to answer an email. lol :D
 
"Hi Max!
We unfortunately do not. If I remember correctly we only had that happen once last year so it's rather rare.
We're still looking into the weight but it's already not a good sign in my opinion that it's taking us this long to try and be able to guarantee it. Weight simply varies guitar to guitar and even with the lightest weight components possible I'm still not sure if we can get it under 6 lbs for sure but I have the team still working on it :)
Thanks!
Kyle Karich"

I think that you had a clear answer...
If I had too much work I wouldn't answer you either, as you keep asking the same thing...
 
I dunno man....in my experience people that are this picky about guitars are almost always problem buyers for me.

If it was that big a deal to you I would have just said 'sorry, we can't do that' and moved on.
 
Steinmetzify":2akudclj said:
I dunno man....in my experience people that are this picky about guitars are almost always problem buyers for me.

If it was that big a deal to you I would have just said 'sorry, we can't do that' and moved on.
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yeah this
 
Hi!

This is Kyle, from Aristides.

Sorry for posting here since I prefer to keep discussions private, but I think the major issue is about to be revealed... I have received no emails from you in these last 3 months. :/

I tried to find you in my inbox but it was so long ago since I received a reply that I had a hard time (there are a lot of emails to sift through haha).

I apologize for the communication breakdown. Both for the email (could've been an issue on our end? Not sure.) and for any unclear information I may have supplied.

The short version is we are still experimenting with weight relief via aluminum blocks, and modifying the material blend in a way that doesn't compromise tonal or structural integrity. Guitars tend to be around 7-8lbs depending on number of strings, but we've never marketed our guitars as lightweight, and it is not a concern for most of our customers. We are working on it so players that require low weight for ergonomic reasons in the future will have us as an option.

I didn't mean to lead you on. :( I tried to make it clear that there is a lot of research & development to be done on this front, and that if you need a very lightweight guitar we may not be your best option.

For a lightweight guitar, I would highly recommend Thorn. Ron makes great guitars and I know with his wood supply he can get very light cuts, and he builds to a high quality standard.

All in all, my apologies, and I hope you get a cool guitar that meets your needs soon! :)

-Kyle
 
It seems to me like they answered your question right off the bat no? I wouldn't expect a company to redesign their guitars for me to get the weight down.
 
Kyle5150":2v22y7yn said:
Hi!

This is Kyle, from Aristides.

Sorry for posting here since I prefer to keep discussions private, but I think the major issue is about to be revealed... I have received no emails from you in these last 3 months. :/

I tried to find you in my inbox but it was so long ago since I received a reply that I had a hard time (there are a lot of emails to sift through haha).

I apologize for the communication breakdown. Both for the email (could've been an issue on our end? Not sure.) and for any unclear information I may have supplied.

The short version is we are still experimenting with weight relief via aluminum blocks, and modifying the material blend in a way that doesn't compromise tonal or structural integrity. Guitars tend to be around 7-8lbs depending on number of strings, but we've never marketed our guitars as lightweight, and it is not a concern for most of our customers. We are working on it so players that require low weight for ergonomic reasons in the future will have us as an option.

I didn't mean to lead you on. :( I tried to make it clear that there is a lot of research & development to be done on this front, and that if you need a very lightweight guitar we may not be your best option.

For a lightweight guitar, I would highly recommend Thorn. Ron makes great guitars and I know with his wood supply he can get very light cuts, and he builds to a high quality standard.

All in all, my apologies, and I hope you get a cool guitar that meets your needs soon! :)

-Kyle
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Hello Kyle

This is quite a surprise. First off I would like to thank you for going out of your way to get back to me. Secondly, please accept a most humbling and much deserved apology from me. I am clearly in the wrong here. I kept thinking when you said your team was working on it, that they were actually, progressively working on it for my build. It was my misinterpretation, completely.

I had no intentions of 'calling you out' on this forum whatsoever, all I wanted to do was rant, not flog. And that's why I emailed you a few hours previous to this post. I was also completely unaware of the emails not getting into your inbox.

Thank you for clarifying and confirming on the weight issue and sorry again for stirring up trouble.
 
If I were a manufacturer and someone was mailing me that often about something that that is variable per build, I would pass on them as a customer to avoid them being unhappy.
 
nickname009":27x77xol said:
Hello Kyle

This is quite a surprise. First off I would like to thank you for going out of your way to get back to me. Secondly, please accept a most humbling and much deserved apology from me. I am clearly in the wrong here. I kept thinking when you said your team was working on it, that they were actually, progressively working on it for my build. It was my misinterpretation, completely.

I had no intentions of 'calling you out' on this forum whatsoever, all I wanted to do was rant, not flog. And that's why I emailed you a few hours previous to this post. I was also completely unaware of the emails not getting into your inbox.

Thank you for clarifying and confirming on the weight issue and sorry again for stirring up trouble.
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No problem I hope this clears everything up! :) Thank your for editing the title of the thread too that is very nice of you. We will hopefully have luck on lightweight guitars in the future but either way I'm sure you will find something you like!
 
messenger":jy77jfg4 said:
It seems to me like they answered your question right off the bat no? I wouldn't expect a company to redesign their guitars for me to get the weight down.
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Look up chambered Gibson Les Pauls. Lunchbox sized/ mini amp heads and cabs..mini wah and effects pedals..I can go on.

crankyrayhanky":jy77jfg4 said:
Not great and certainly disappointing for you, but not really worthy of a public web flogging IMO
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I don't consider this a public web flogging...just a rant.

sytharnia1560":jy77jfg4 said:
Steinmetzify":jy77jfg4 said:
I dunno man....in my experience people that are this picky about guitars are almost always problem buyers for me.

If it was that big a deal to you I would have just said 'sorry, we can't do that' and moved on.
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yeah this
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I think it's fair to say you are assuming too much too soon. I have had serious shoulder injuries due to heavy involvement in sports, a slipped disc and continuous lower back issues. Of course there is absolutely no way you would have known this.

Either way I am glad this is sorted. I was optimistic about seeing such a young company coming out and doing something revolutionary
with the guitar. I'm glad to see that they have their shit together, and I'm glad I was wrong! Thank you again Kyle at Aristides!
 
nickname009":3cdir18g said:
messenger":3cdir18g said:
It seems to me like they answered your question right off the bat no? I wouldn't expect a company to redesign their guitars for me to get the weight down.
Click to expand...

Look up chambered Gibson Les Pauls. Lunchbox sized/ mini amp heads and cabs..mini wah and effects pedals..I can go on.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I would call redesigning ;) it's not like selecting a lighter piece of wood IMHO
 
I e-mailed back & forth with Kyle regarding my Aristides for quite a while before paying to have it built & he was nothing short of professional & polite.

Since the wait times are very long, he sends me updates & pics out of the blue to keep me in the loop.
 
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